1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pop-up toasters. More particularly, the present invention relates to a toaster capable of toasting a slice of bread with a pattern in a shape of animal, flower or the like on the surface thereof.
2. Description of the Background Art
Generally, a pop-up toaster is exclusively used for toasting a sliced bread. In the pop-up toaster, the sliced bread is inserted from the open top of the case.
Today, a certain type of toaster is available in which a sliced bread with a different thickness can be toasted.
In this type of toaster, for example, a width of a slot for insertion and removal of a sliced bread in the case and a distance between a pair of plate heaters in the case, that is, a bread holding space, correspond to the thickest sliced bread.
In the above described toaster, however, as the bread holding space between the two plate heaters corresponds to the thickest sliced bread, in toasting the thinnest sliced bread, for example, such sliced bread may be inclined in the bread holding space. Then, the upper half of the sliced bread on one side may be excessively heated, but the lower half insufficiently heated. On the other side of the sliced bread, the upper half may be insufficiently heated, while the lower half is excessively heated. Thus, the sliced bread may not uniformly be toasted.
The present inventor has proposed a toaster such as that described above in which a pattern plate in the shape of animal, flower or the like is attached on an inner side of one plate heater, so that a sliced bread can be toasted with a pattern corresponding to the shape of the above described pattern plate.
As described above, in this type of toaster, if the sliced bread is inclined when toasting the thinnest sliced bread, the uneven space is formed between the pattern plate and the sliced bread, and radiation heat from the plate heater is likely to transfer to the space. As a result, the sliced bread is not toasted with a clear pattern corresponding to the shape of the pattern plate, whereby a fuzzy pattern is formed.